NRC Report Maps Well with NNI EHS Research Strategy

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(January 30, 2012) The agencies participating in the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) appreciate the National Research Council’s (NRC) recently released report, A Research Strategy for Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) Aspects of Engineered Nanomaterials (ENMs). It is unfortunate that the NRC report was already completed and in peer review when the NNI released its EHS Research Strategy in October 2011, which precluded the NRC from considering the NNI’s strategy in its deliberations. Based on our initial review of the NRC report, however, the two strategies are very much in line with one another. Below is a list of some of the major shared themes and conclusions; please click here to see specific excerpts and paired references from the two reports.

Both the NRC and NNI strategies find that:

· The NNI has been effective in moving forward nanomaterials-related EHS research.

· It is important to utilize a life cycle analysis to identify and assess nanomaterial EHS research needs.

· Stakeholder participation and engagement is critical to a nanomaterials EHS research strategy.

· In implementing an EHS research strategy, it is important that the strategy be reviewed regularly and adapted to evolving research needs.

· More research is needed on human exposure to nanomaterials (the NNI went further and identified four specific research needs in this area).

· More research is needed on nanomaterial effects on human health (the NNI has identified six specific research needs in this area).

· More research is needed on nanomaterial effects on the environment (the NNI has identified five specific research needs in this area).

· There is a need for better tools to measure and evaluate nanomaterials (the NNI has identified five specific research needs in this area).

· There is a need to develop an informatics infrastructure for nanotechnology-related EHS research.